Back to Reality
by titaundomiel
Summary: How do you get back to your normal life after you've dreamed  and lived  more than most people do?  Ariadne/Cobb
1. Prologue

**Author's note: Hello everyone! First inception fic! And feeling a little scared since I've read so many amazing A/D fics! SO, this kind of works as a one-shot but I really wanted to separate the prologue from the rest. I really don't know if I will continue this, it really depends on your suggestions and my level of inspiration. So don't count on regular updates. I do have kind of a plan but it's too blurry right now and I don't know if I'll go through with it.**

**BTW, English is not my first language (I'm Portuguese) so please be gentle about grammatical errors… =)**

**The characters do not belong to me (unfortunately) but to the amazing Chris Nolan!**

**Prologue**

_How do you come back from this? _

_How do you get back to your normal life after you've dreamed (and lived) more than most people do?_

_How do you pretend that everything is the way it was before when you've built entire cities out of your imagination and watched they crumble like sand castles right in front of your eyes?_

_How can you walk the streets of the town you've lived for the past few years knowing that you've defied gravity on those exact same places?_

_And how do you forget the one that opened your eyes to a whole new world…_

_How do you get back to reality?_

**A/N: Continue to chapter one and please, review!**


	2. I LAX

**Author's note: Hope you enjoy the first chapter!**

**I - LAX**

He pulled her to a narrow alley trying to make his sudden action go unnoticed by the people that crowded LAX.

She looked up at him suddenly very aware of how tall he was compared to her (and how close he stood). He let go of her arm knowing that he had held onto her a moment too long. She could not help but shiver at the loss of his touch.

His eyes sparkled with doubt in the darkness that engulfed them. Whatever force that had possessed him before, was gone now. He really didn't know what to say next…

But she knew him more than she knew herself.

"You're welcome", she whispered, grinning.

He smiled tenderly at her (She was something else for sure). She blushed a little avoiding his ice blue stare.

For the first time since he first laid eyes on her, he saw how young she really was. Everything ahead of her…

Not like him. He was an old soul trapped in a 35 year-old body…

He had noticed the way she looked at him… with marvel in her beautiful brown eyes. Like he was the possessor of the meaning of life… _Her life_.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. She wasn't supposed to feel like that for a man almost twice her age that had lost his sanity long before he had met her. But his eyes were a maze that she wanted to get lost into and his knowledge was a temptation to her curious mind.

No boy her age could offer that… and that was the saddest realization.

She tried to close the already little space between them and almost got on top of her toes to lean closer to his lips but he stopped her midway realizing what she was about to do.

"Don't" his rough but soft voice made her knees go weak.

"Please…"

She was pleading now… _Way to go, Ariadne! Might as well start burying a hole on the ground… _he was turning her into some desperate little girl. She hated it but it was her last chance. And she wanted to keep a memory like this buried in her subconscious forever.

His gaze pierced into hers and he considered the possibility for a moment. He owed her… And if he wanted to be true to himself he had pulled her to this dark hallway to do something like that. _Pervert!_

She gave up, letting her body lean against the cold wall behind her. Disappointment printed in her eyes.

It broke his heart… _God, you're a weak bastard, Dom!_

He let his hand caress her face and she straightened her small body to look back into his blue eyes.

His other hand landed gently on her waist and she could almost feel his touch burning through the white fabric of her shirt. Her breath was trapped in her throat as he leaned closer in slow motion.

Their lips met in gentle kiss (you could almost say timid).

She felt her heart ripping through her chest and she regretted having kissed Kurt (_was that even his name?_) back in the day. _This is what a first kiss is supposed to like!_

His heart skipped a beat too and he felt young again for the first time in years.

Their lips parted and he let his forehead rest against hers, catching their breaths in unison.

It was an innocent kiss because otherwise it would have been morally questionable and he really did not need anything else on his (already guilty) conscious. But he would forever remember the way their lips fitted perfectly and the taste of her mouth and he promised not blame himself for that.

She kept her eyes closed trying to make the moment last longer but she knew that in a minute he would be gone and all she would have left was the fainted feel of his lips on hers.

"Ariadne…" he whispered her name worriedly, disconnecting their foreheads and trying to make eye contact with her. He wanted to gaze into her chocolate brown eyes one last time.

She shivered hearing her name coming out of his mouth. It sounded so perfect when he was the one saying it.

She looked up at him and he could see the tears threatening to fall. It tore his heart into pieces.

"Just go" her voice trembled but she wanted to end this torture now.

She pulled his hand out of her waist as if disconnecting from his touch for good.

He stood in front of her, her small frame looking smaller that ever as she hugged her body and kept her weight against the wall.

"I'm so sorry for dragging you into this" he had never been so honest in his life. He knew he had stolen her innocence.

She smiled sadly at him, "I'm not", she said being as honest as he was.

He saw the spark in her again and he smiled at that trying to convince himself that she would be ok after all.

He picked up his bag that had been forgotten on the floor and left, not looking behind.

She dug her hand in her pocket to feel the chess piece and could not help but smile.

**A/N: Please, review!**


	3. II Addiction

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! So sorry for the delay but as I told you this fic won't have regular downloads. Sorry! So, from this chapter on this fic is being revised by my amazing beta reader: MAGGIE! Special thanks to her for making this chapter something that it would have never been otherwise! And thanks to all the reviews! I love to know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise in here belongs to the amazing Chris Nolan! **

**Enjoy!**

**II - Addiction**

_The sun hit her skin and left a warm feeling through her whole body. She felt the sand tickle her bare feet as the waves crashed down in front of her. His silent presence made her heart flutter._

_He stood next to her dressed all in black, a sharp contrast to her white dress. The warm wind made his golden hair wave a little. He was a vision… she couldn't take her eyes off of him._

_"It's like a drug, isn't it?" she asked him, looking for some kind of approval._

_He just nodded, keeping his blue gaze on the crashing __waves__**,**__ remembering long lost shores._

_"It's so addictive," she confessed in a whispered breath._

_He nodded again._

_She frowned, cursing her subconscious for not allowing her to hear his soft voice anymore._

_She was so afraid of forgetting…_

_()()()()()()_

When her eyes opened, she could still feel the sea breeze in her silent bedroom.

She was back. _Again…_

She wondered what she was even talking about in her dream. Probably building in the dream world…

Who was she kidding? He was the one she could not let go of, even three months after their final goodbye at LAX.

_He __was so __addictive…_

_()()()()()()_

"Class dismissed." Ariadne had never been happier to hear Miles' British accent.

She had waited for this class ever since she got back. After all, it was Miles' first class since he took time off to stay in the US with his son-in-law.

But keeping _him_ out of her mind was even harder with Miles' lectures.

So it was inevitable, just as it had been for the past few months: she couldn't get her mind to focus. She was beyond hearing about dull methods and concepts that could easily be forgotten in the dream world. _Who cared about physics and geometry in the confines of the mind?_

Everyone was out of the classroom quickly, except Ariadne, who always took her time packing her stuff (a part of her that hasn't changed since the job).

From the top of the classroom she glanced at her favorite professor as he packed his own things, considering the possibility of asking him about Cobb.

Instead, she turned to leave the room. _Coward!_

"Ariadne!"

She froze in her steps. _What could he possibly want?_

"Yes?" She turned slowly, afraid she was going to be punished for something she had done.

He smiled tenderly, sensing her discomfort. He picked up his bag before walking up the stairs to meet her by the door.

"Thank you," he told her.

She narrowed her eyes questioningly at him**.** "For what, exactly?"

"Bringing him back**.**"

She couldn't hide her stunned expression. Dom had told him…

She looked at her feet and gathered up the courage to look back up and ask, "How is he?"

Miles smiled**.** "He's adjusting…"

She nodded**,** knowing exactly what the elder man meant. It couldn't be easy to go back to your normal life after everything that he had been through. She was definitely having a hard time herself.

"…But he's happier than I've seen him in a very long time."

Her heart fluttered at the thought of his rarely seen smile. She had to admit that most of the time, it had been directed at her.

Miles noticed how her eyes had sparkled at the mention of his son-in-law. Dom had been a mentor to her and it was obvious she had some infatuation with him, even though she tried to hide it quite charmingly.

"He told me you were amazing," Miles confessed, trying to lighten her spirit. Yes, he had noticed her lack of interest. Even the board of teachers had discussed it already.

She blushed a little and could not help but smile even though her heart clenched. She missed him so damn much…

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go, Professor," she said quickly.

Miles nodded. "Very well."

She turned to leave and as soon as she was out of his sight, she practically ran to the nearest bathroom.

She slipped inside of one of the tiny stalls and locked the door, finally letting out a sob that had been preventing her from breathing.

She cried for almost an hour while her subconscious played tricks on her.

_You_ _are_ _amazing_, she kept hearing _his_ voice (finally) say.

**A/N - Cannot promise an update soon but please review!**


	4. III Closer

**Author's Note: Firstly, sorry for the delay but college just takes over my life! Secondly, thanks so much to my beta reader Maggie and ****shadadukal**** down at livejournal for revising the french bits! And thanks so much for the author/story alerts, favourites. Special thanks to Lobsters Forever for the positive review!**

**III - Closer**

"_Dreams are disguised manifestations of strong, unacceptable, unconscious wishes."_

_- Sigmund Freud_

The dreams were becoming more frequent**,** if that was even possible. His voice was now a constant presence; sometimes she even heard it when she was wide awake.

_Be careful what you wish for…_

She couldn't function normally anymore. Every now and then she had to take naps during the afternoon in order to make up for the lack of sleep she got during the nights. During these brief naps, she never reached REM sleep, being too afraid that he would show up to say "Hi" or talk to her about some stupid nonsense like he did in her nighttime dreams. She noticed that, in all the dreams she had been having, not once had he touched her.

But every night, exhaustion finally defeated her body, and she had no control… so REM took over.

_()()()()()_

Nowadays she avoided going to the café that she had been to with Cobb in her first lesson on dreamsharing. There, his voice screamed inside her skull**,** so loud it was probably messing with her inner ear function**.** Was that why she kept losing her balance, or was it simply the memory of him?

Strangely enough**, **oneday she found herself seated on the exact same place that she had been with Cobb, regretting the (now almost forgotten) decision to go there in the first place.

_"_Je suis si heureux de te voir**,**_" _she heard him whisper in flawless French.

She closed her eyes**,** trying to ignore his voice. She grasped the sides of the table to hide her trembling hands.

_"_Tu peux ouvrir les yeux,_" _he whispered with a painful softness that almost undid her.

She heard him chuckle. It really felt like he was standing next to her.

_"Open your eyes, Ariadne."_

She jumped in her seat, feeling his breath against her ear.

In an instant her hand was tucked inside her pocket**,** feeling an unfamiliar chess piece.

_I'm dreaming._

_She opened her eyes slowly and saw his hand resting on the table, excruciatingly close to hers, but still not touching._

_"How did you get here, Ariadne?"_

_The mock__ing__ tone of his voice did not go unnoticed__**.**__She glared__ at him._

_He reclined on the chair and smiled at her. In that moment she just wanted to slap him right __in__ the face._

_"I really thought I had taught you __better__**,**__" he said__**,**__ referring to her lack of sensitivity in differentiating reality from a dream._

_She understood his statement right away. After all, it was HER subconscious making fun of her._

_"Look who's talking." she shot back, talking more to __the real__ Cobb than to __her__ projection __of him__._

_"Touché."_

_She averted __her gaze from__ his piecing blue eyes, looking up at the clear skies in exasperation. "Why don't you leave me alone?"_

_"You don't want me to__**,**__" he said matter-of-factly._

_She took the totem from her pocket and juggl__ed__ it between her pale hands__**,**__ trying to make sure that none of this was real, __still__ avoiding his eyes._

_"You want me here..." __H__e leaned closer to her, whispering against her neck, "...close to you..."_

_She felt her stomach flutter and her heartbeat race __at__ an impossible speed. That was her kick. She suddenly felt like she was falling…_

_()()()()()_

Her eyes shot open and she sat up**,** realizing then that she had been drooling on a book on the college library. Luckily for her, she was alone due to the late hours.

She looked around her. The darkness and silence were strangely comforting.

Ariadne could not help but notice how different this dream had been. Never had he been this close to her, never had he whispered in her ear before. She could recall with extraordinary detail the way his breath had tickled her neck.

There had been a clear tension between them and still he had _never_ touched her**.** It was like something was holding him back but not so much. He was testing her limits, seducing her…

_You want me here… close to you..._

Did she? This was torture! He was taking over her mind. She couldn't dream of anything else anymore and she felt like she was letting herself go without even a struggle.

She ran her hands through her wavy brown hair in desperation and fatigue.

What she did not notice was Miles standing at the entrance of the library**,** watching her with fearful eyes.

**A/N: Please, please comment! I really need some feedback on this story!**


	5. IV Explanations

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the reviews and alerts and favorites… THANK YOU! A special shout out to my amazing beta reader Maggie for making this story something that it could never be if I was doing it alone!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you might recognize belongs to the amazing Chris Nolan! I take full credit for the character Maggie, dedicated to my beta!)**

**IV –** **Explanations**

"She's not ok."

He heard his father-in-law on the other end of the line voice one of his greatest fears. He had asked Miles to call him if things got weird, leaving the older man wondering exactly what had happened on that fateful job.

"Damn it!" Dom whispered, discarding some of the papers he had been holding on the kitchen table. "What did she tell you?"

"Nothing, Dom!" Miles was on the verge of losing his temper**.** "That's precisely the problem**.**"

Dom felt his heart clench with fear for her. _This is __entirely__ your fault, you selfish bastard!_

"She's been missing classes… getting behind on all the work**.**" Miles paused**,** hesitant to continue**.** "She's numb, Dom**.**"

_Numb… sleepwalking through life._

Miles' last statement painfully reminded both men of Mal. Dom couldn't bear the thought of losing Ariadne too.

"Are you finally going to explain to me exactly what she had to do to bring you back?"

There was a deafening silence before Dom spoke again.

"She went into limbo with me**,**" he whispered, the guilt making his voice crack a little.

"For God's sake, Dom!" Miles snapped**.** "You know the risks!"

Dom's eyes fell on his children playing on the living room floor. "I know…"

"You knew what could happen if people go into limbo together**.**"

There was another long silence as Cobb gathered the courage to speak the truth that his father-in-law already knew.

"They stay connected**.**"

_()()()()()_

"Hi!" A voice stood out from the noise in the college's cafeteria**.**

Ariadne lifted her eyes from the stack of papers and drawings in front of her to see Maggie, an American girl from her class who was her best friend in Paris

"Hey." Ariadne gave her a tired smile as Maggie offered her a cup of coffee.

"May I join you?"

"Yeah, sure."

Ariadne made room for her on the table**,** picking up the drawings and stacking them on top of each other.

"You know, I've always envied you**,**" Maggie confessed, making Ariadne look at her with narrowed eyes.

"What are you talking about, Mag?" Ariadne could not help but chuckle.

"Well…" Maggie hesitated**,** feeling suddenly very shy about it. "You've always had this vision**,** like… Your designs are amazing!"

"Mag…" Ariadne whispered, uncomfortable with the turn that the conversation had taken.

"It's like it comes natural to you," Maggie concluded in a breath.

Ariadne motioned to the papers in front of them. "Not anymore, apparently."

Maggie nodded her face very serious all of a sudden. "I've noticed, Ar," she stated.

Ariadne could see the concern on her friend's eyes (it wasn't the first time). Maggie was trying to look through her… trying get to the bottom of whatever that had been bugging her in the past few months.

"I know you don't want to talk about it -"

"I can't," Ariadne interrupted her.

Maggie inhaled tiredly. "Yeah… We already covered that part." She moved her hands in a funny way - "Professor Miles' secret assignment**.**"

Ariadne's face fell in her hands and she rubbed her eyes**,** trying to wipe the sleep away.

Maggie watched her every move**.** "I'm worried, Ar," she whispered**.** "It really has taken a toll on you**.**"

Ariadne looked back up at her and nodded. There was really nothing else she could say**;** otherwise**,** she would break like a glass in front of her friend.

Maggie smiled tenderly at her. "Alright… You know where to find me."

Ariadne nodded. "Thank you."

Maggie got up from the cafeteria chair. "Yeah, no problem**.**" She smiled**,** landeda kiss on Ariadne's hair**,** and left.

_()()()()()_

"Precisely, Dom!" Miles shot back, "For all we know, she's probably been haunted by your subconscious' litter all this time!"

"I don't know what to say**,** Miles…"

"I trusted you, Dom! You promised me she wasn't going to be involved, just designing the levels… And now you tell me she went into Limbo!"

Cobb stood in the middle of his kitchen, silent. In the background he could hear his children's laughter, blurred by the conflicting thoughts running through his mind.

"It takes years of training for someone to be able to go that deep… and even with training things can go terribly wrong**.**"

_Like Mal._ But neither of them needed to say it.

"I've been dreaming about her… Ariadne, I mean**,**" he confessed in a guilty whisper.

The older man let the statement settle. He couldn't say that he was surprised at that… just surprised that his son-in-law was admitting it.

"She's probably been dreaming about me**,** or even Mal.**"** The realization hit him right across the face. _Subconscious litter…_

"Ohh! She's been dreaming about you, for sure!" he exclaimed sarcastically. He had seen it in her eyes when she had asked him about his son-in-law.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you never noticed**,**" Miles said skeptically.

Cobb stayed silent. The bittersweet goodbye sealed with a stolen kiss at the airport was something that would always be just between the two of them. Forever…

"But it's taking over her**,**" Miles voice broke into the silence**.** "I believe that's not the case with you…"

There was a hint of doubt in Miles' voice which did not go unnoticed by Dom.

"No. I have a normal sleeping routine…"

_But when I dream… she's always there._

"You have a grip on reality now, Dom**,**" Miles explained**.** "Your children."

There was a long pause before the professor spoke again.

"She doesn't."

_()()()()()_

_The Seine __sparkled in the 6 o'clock sunlight. She couldn't take her eyes off of it. It always brought her a sense of peace and wholeness that she was lacking these days. But she knew that she was dreaming because the sky was an impossible shade of blue and she could feel him all around her. __That was how it was now.__ Even if she did not see him__**,**__ she felt him. It was if he was the oxygen of the dream, always present._

_ She was giving in. She knew that much. He was getting closer to her since the dream __of__ the café. She wanted to fight it but she was so tired… and missing him even more. She was losing her mind._

_ She leaned her body weight against the metal bars that made the bridge and closed her eyes, feeling the breeze against her skin. She knew he was behind her, waiting to take the prey. He put his arms on both sides of her body, his hands grabbing onto the bars too. He wasn't touching her, there were still a couple of inches separating their bodies, but she could feel the heat radiating form his body to hers._

_ "Hi__**,**__" he whispered softly against her neck._

_ She inhaled closing her eyes. She felt a single tear run down her cheek. "Just go away__**,**__" she pleaded._

_ "You want me here…" __H__e leaned closer to her, reducing the inches between them. "Close to you__**.**__"_

_ She smiled bitterly__**. **__"You're always saying that crap__**.**__"_

_ "It's the truth__**,**__" he said matter-of-factly._

_ "Fuck you."_

She heard him chuckle before she woke up to the darkness of her room.

**A/N: Reviews are much appreciated! Hope you enjoyed!**


	6. V Inception

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! So this is the chaper where I reveal the whole idea that got me to write this fic so i sincerely hope you enjoy! Special thanks to my amazing beta reader, Maggie, and to all of you that took the time to read and review! Another special thaks to swampophelia for one of the most amazing amazing reviews ever! I will get back to you, promise!**

**V – Inception**

"_Swing me these sorrows,  
And try delusion for a while,  
It's such a beautiful lie,"_

_Illuminated_, by HURTS

_ She didn't need to look around too much to recognize the place. She was in the dark hallway at LAX where she had said the most painful goodbye of her life. She did not need to check her totem, either; it was getting easier to tell dreams from reality._

_ Cobb stood in front of her, leaning against the wall, in his usual semi-casual attire instead of the slick suit he had worn on the last day she had seen him. This wasn't a memory._

_ "Why are we here?" Ariadne asked._

_ He admired his surroundings with a grin on his lips. "Remembering old times…"_

_ It was when he said stuff like that that she wanted to give up sleeping for good._

_No more dreaming…_

_ "I don't need you to bring me here…" She paused, looking away. "To remember."_

_ He narrowed his eyes at her, pushing his body away from the white wall. "What do you mean by that?"_

_ She looked back up into his eyes. "You know exactly what I mean, Cobb," she shot back pointedly._

_ Of course he did. She had to remind herself sometimes that the man hunting her dreams wasn't him… it was her subconscious talking - just a shade of the real Dominic Cobb._

_ He walked toward her with piercing dark eyes, closing the already small distance between them._

_ She tried to maintain some space but ended up with her small frame against the wall. This was going to be a chess game._

_ "Tell me," he whispered huskily, leaning down to meet her eyes._

_ Ariadne looked up to see into the ocean blue eyes that were staring down at her. There were only inches separating their bodies, but he still wouldn't touch her._

_ "I will never forget," she confessed._

_ She could feel her guards gradually falling down to let him in, inside her mind. But why was he still not touching her?_

_ "You have to let go, Ariadne," he told her, whispering the answer to her silent question, "To dream is to lose control over the mind."_

_ She looked at him, pleading for an explanation. Tears started forming in her eyes. "I don't know what you want from me." She felt the lump in her throat make her voice crack._

_ "Admit it." He paused. "Admit that you want me here… close to you."_

_ She ran her trembling hands over her face and through her wavy brown hair, suddenly feeling like she couldn't breathe. "Stop saying that, for God's sake!" she cried in desperation._

_ He approached her, leaning his face closer to hers. "Let me in, Ariadne," he whispered against her lips. "You just have to admit it."_

_ The tears started falling and her body convulsed a little with each sob. "You know I need you," she finally admitted, meeting his eyes._

_ He moved his hand to her face in what seemed like slow motion. Her eyes were glued to his as he did so. When their skins finally connected, Ariadne felt like she was burning under his touch. She closed her eyes when his thumb caressed her lips with the gentlest touch. _

_ Suddenly his lips were on hers, demanding for her to completely let go. She felt his tongue caress her lips and she finally lost control, opening her mouth to his, her arms enveloping his neck._

_ He pulled her body against his larger frame and his hands caressed her back before pulling her blouse up slightly to touch her skin._

_ She could feel the walls in her brain crumbling with each burning touch, making a domino effect._

_()()()()()_

The idea was put in place: she wanted him there, close to her.

The idea stuck, as if self-generated: she needed him.

This was inception. Her own subconscious had tricked her into admitting the most powerful feelings she had ever felt.

_()()()()()_

When she woke up, she was drenched in sweat and trembling, with tears streaming down her face. But this time she couldn't wait to dream again… and live this beautiful lie.

**A/N - Please, comment!**


	7. VI Paradox Part I

**Author's Note: OMG, you guys! I'm sorry it took me so long to update but school got in he way and when the holidays came I just took to long to get this my dear beta reader, Maggie, and then the Architect's Gift came up so... I know excuses. I just hope that this chapter makes up for all the wait. SORRY!**

**Thanks Maggie, for you wondeful edits! And thanks for all the reviews! I have almost two chapters written ahead but I got to a point where I'm not sure what to do with this story, so please send me some suggestions.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inception (unfortunatly!)**

**Paradox Part I**

She couldn't rely on herself anymore.

In the past week, she had missed even more classes and fallen behind on a ton of work.

For what, exactly? Well, living the dream**… **literally.

She had never known herself to be an obsessive person. She had probably picked it up from Cobb, and now she was addicted, addicted to the possibility of being with him whenever she wanted, talking to him, touching him…

Now she understood Dominick Cobb better than ever.

_Why is it so important to dream?..._

_ … Because in my dreams, we're still together._

Exactly. She was trying to keep him alive by building a library of (fake) memories of an affair that never was.

_()()()()_

_She sat on the kitchen counter while he did the dishes. Ariadne looked around, trying to get hold of her surroundings. They were in her little apartment in Paris._

_ "Ariadne?"_

_ She heard his soft voice and turned her attention to him, smiling._

_ "Are you even listening to me?" he asked mockingly, turning off the __tap__._

_ He walked toward her, taking the blue towel she hadn't realized she was holding._

_ She averted __her gaze from his__ blue eyes, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry."_

_ After drying his hands__**,**__ he placed the towel on the counter and leaned toward her as seductively as humanly possible, resting his hands on her knees._

_ She watched closely as his hands moved from her knees up to her thighs. She could still feel her skin burning every time he touched her._

_ Addictive._

_ He placed a gentle kiss on her temple and she realized that it was the first time he had used such a tender gesture._

_ "I missed you today," he whispered, his hot breath tickling her skin._

_ She looked up into his beautiful eyes, devotion printed on her own. She was in too deep already._

_ "Did you miss me?" he asked._

_The huskiness in his voice made her knees go weak._

_She cupped his face, pulling him down for a kiss. She had intended for it to be a quick one but when his hands ran up her thighs to caress the small of her back, her mouth opened to his demanding one and she wrapped her arms around his neck._

_He lifted her slightly up to pull her body closer to his and she spread her legs to accommodate him._

_Their tongues were battling for dominance and he was easily silencing all the voices in her head that were trying to tell her this was a bad idea. When they came out for air, Ariadne was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to formulate a coherent thought or sentence._

_He smiled at her innocence, knowing all too well what was going through her mind. "I guess that answers __that__ question," he said, sarcastic but not unkind._

_She eyed him, defeated and fully aware of the control he held on her mind._

This isn't real…

"_What's wrong?" he asked, concerned by the lost look on her face._

_She shook her head, rubbing her eyes. Sometimes, but only sometimes, this was all too much to handle__**,**__**e**__ven if it wasn't really happening._

_She hopped off the counter and stood on her own two feet. "I have to go."_

_She had taken a few steps away from him when his hand held her in place__**,**__ his touch possessive on her wrist, contrasting with the soft look in his eyes._

"_Please…" he whispered, "__don't go.__"_

_She pulled away from his touch abruptly and walked away, determined to ride her kick back to reality, even though every single fiber of her body pulled her toward him._

_She hadn't completely lost her mind..._

… _yet._

_()()()()_

She walked out of the college building side by side with Maggie. Her friend was talking about a paper they had to turn in before the end of the week, but Ariadne couldn't help but let her mind wonder off to the fact that when she got home she would be with _him_ again.

As they climbed down the stairs, the sight before her made Ariadne stop dead in her tracks. What she was seeing was simply impossible.

"Ari?" Maggie turned, noticing her friend's delay.

Ariadne did not answer her. How could she, when Dominick Cobb was standing just a few feet way from her, looking straight at her? She knew she wasn't dreaming, because she was getting used to telling the difference, but still, out of habit, she dug her hand in her pocket and touched the familiar irregularity on her bishop.

She felt her breathing become ragged and could barely make out Maggie, who was now standing closer to Cobb, ignorant of everything that was happening. "What's wrong?" Ariadne heard Maggie ask.

As he walked toward her, and in the midst of all the clashing thoughts in her mind, she was able to notice how her subconscious hadn't done him any justice. His eyes were even bluer than she remembered and held a tenderness that her mind just hadn't been able to replicate. When he finally stood in front of her, Ariadne felt small and like she was about to break into pieces; her eyes burned with unshed tears.

"Hi." His soft voice gently enveloped her ears, silencing everything around them.

He could see her distress from miles away, but standing now close to her was just fuel for his guilt. _He_ had done this to her. He had broken her, possibly beyond repair. She looked lifeless… _Numb, sleepwalking through life_.

Ariadne looked behind him, to her friend who was nervously waiting for an answer. She gave her none. Instead she turned back to him, looking into his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" The words came out painfully.

"I needed to see you, Ariadne." He paused. "We need to talk."

Ariadne let her eyes fall to the ground - to avoid his piercing gaze as well as to hide the tears that she was sure were almost coming. "I can't. I - " Her voice broke.

"Maybe later?" he asked, almost pleading; he was still trying to make eye contact with her. "Please…"

The huskiness of his voice made her close her eyes and remember the way _he_ whispered against her neck every single night.

She shook the thoughts away and looked back up, nodding in agreement.

"You still have my number, right?" he asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder but regretting the move almost immediately, as she became rigid under his touch.

"Yes, I'll call you later," she mumbled before she fled, leaving Cobb alone on the big outdoor stairway.

"What was all that about?" Ariadne heard Maggie ask as she passed by her in a hurry.

_()()()()_

Ariadne sat on her old, ragged couch, hugging her legs against her chest. She felt that her world was just crumbling around her, like a collapsing dream. She watched as her friend paced around the room frantically, waiting for impossible answers.

"Just so you know," Maggie stopped, looking straight at Ariadne with a pointed finger, "I'm not leaving until you give me something, anything. Anything that will make me understand what's going on."

Ariadne inhaled in desperation, feeling her throat burning. What the hell was she supposed to say? She noticed Maggie eying her with what could be called as pity, and Ariadne hated it.

"What do you want to know?" Ariadne's tone was defeated, surprising her friend.

"Okay…" Maggie collected her thoughts. "Who _was_ he?"

Ariadne closed her eyes, remembering the way his eyes had sparkled and the way he had touched her shoulder. She pushed the images away for the moment.

"His name is Dominick Cobb. He's the guy that hired me for that job I told you about." Saying his name out loud was almost physically painful.

"Yeah, that top secret job, right?"

The sarcasm in Maggie's voice was too obvious to ignore. "If I could tell you, I would, Mag," Ariadne shot back honestly. "But I can't."

In that moment, Maggie felt guilty for pushing the subject, but she just wanted to help. She was so tired of watching her friend slowly fade away with each passing day, and she had a hunch that this Cobb guy had something to do with it. She had seen the look in her friend's eyes. It was fear mixed with something else that she hadn't been able to pinpoint. But now, looking at her, it was becoming quite obvious.

She went directly to the most important question: "What happened between you two?"

Ariadne eyed her menacingly, wanting so much to ignore that question. However, she did not need to, because at that moment, someone knocked on her door.

_()()()()_

_Please, review!_


	8. VII Paradox Part II

**Author's note: I'm SO SORRY! I haven't updated in so long you have the right to hate me. I lost my amazing beta reader, Maggie, to who I'm so thankful for helping me and actually improving my English. So if anyone is interested in helping me with this story please let me know. On top of that I had a long internship that took away all the time I had to write…. I'm so sorry… BTW, I haven't written in a long time so my English is a little rusty. Please, review!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognize in here belongs to the amazing Chris Nolan!**

**VII – Paradox Part II**

"_Why can't you see that when we bleed we bleed the same?"_

_Map of the Problematic _by MUSE

_()()()()_

_"Dominick?"_

_ He froze as her voice told him that he was actually dreaming, instead of leaving the makeshift studio in his house to go to bed. He looked around trying to figure out the foreign nature of the dream. Apart from her voice that still resonated in his head, he noticed all pictures of Mal gone. There were only pictures of his children, smiling… his salvation._

_ "What did you do to them?" he asked, keeping his back turned to her._

_ "It's your dream, Dom." She shot back matter-of-factly, "How am I supposed to know?"_

_ He gathered the courage to turn around and face her. She was sitting on top of his work table, fumbling through some of his drawings, projects that he was currently working on. She looked smaller with her shoulders hunched over as if her body was running out of energy in front of his very eyes. What was strange was the fact that her face held a devious smile that could not have looked more out of place._

_ "I think…" Ariadne challenged him, discarding the papers on the table condescendingly as she spoke. This was not her at all. For a moment, Dom felt repulsed by his architect as she started to look more like the shade of his dead wife instead of the young feisty girl he had met in Paris._

_She looked him straight in the eyes before speaking again, seductively. "I think you don't want her to watch."_

_Dom frowned, feeling the dream spinning out of control. "Watch what, exactly?"_

_Suddenly, and without any previous warning whatsoever, tears started running down her face. The eerie smile vanished and all of a sudden he was looking back at his Ariadne. It was like watching an actress swiftly respond to the word "Action!"._

_He strode toward her trembling body. "Ariadne…"_

_He knew she was probably messing with his head but he wasn't about to stay put and watch her break like this. He couldn't bear it. His guilt wouldn't let him do that. He grabbed both her shoulders gently, she looked up and he was able to see the sorrow in her eyes._

"_Please…" her voice trembled as the tears streamed down her face, "Help me!"_

_Suddenly, he felt like he was falling._

_()()()()_

His eyes shot open and sweat dripped from his forehead. He took some minutes to gather his thoughts. It wasn't the first time that he'd dreamt of Ariadne but never before had she been this helpless. However, what had scared him the most was the way her mood changed in a blink of an eye. He felt like he was being manipulated by his own projection of her.

He reluctantly stood from his bed and run a hand through his damp hair. He walked out of the room and went to the one next door where his children slept. As he made his way, he noticed the sun rising outside, illuminating the big living room. He opened the door to his children's room peering inside and was surprised to see Philippa's head rise to look at him.

"Daddy?" she asked cautiously.

He couldn't help but smile before tip toeing to her princess bed. He sat down and looked across to see James sleeping peacefully on the bed next to his sister's. Dom stood between his children and realized how thankful he was for being back… he owed it to _her_.

"You can't sleep?" Her voice made him turn fully to her and hold her small hand in his.

He shook his head. "No, I can't." he whispered sweetly, trying not to worry his daughter too much.

"Why?" Her big eyes looked up into his, pleading for his honesty.

Cobb sighed. "Daddy is worried about someone."

"Who?"

"A good friend…" His heart clenched at the thought of Ariadne suffering because of his actions.

"Did you hurt your friend?" she asked nervously.

Dom smiled bitterly. His kids really surprised him with their insight and knowledge beyond their age.

"I think I did…" he confessed, saying it out loud for the first time.

_()()()()_

He was preparing a mid-afternoon snack for his kids when Miles knocked on his door. Dom invited him in returning to the kitchen while the old professor followed him and joined Cobb by the kitchen counter.

"So, how did it go?" Miles asked, keeping his voice low so that James and Philippa, who were sitting by the kitchen table just behind them, could not hear.

Cobb kept his eyes on the task at hand, exhaling defeatedly. Miles immediately understood.

"I told you not to push her." Miles lectured him, "You have to be patient, Dom. Let her come to you."

Cobb stopped what he was doing and his hands held onto the counter, supporting his body weight, as he leaned onto the marble. He knew she wouldn't come to him and open up about her problems. It just wasn't in her nature. She was strong and independent, she didn't rely on anyone. He knew she wouldn't call…

"I never thought it would come to this…" he paused, feeling his throat tighten. "That I would have to see her like that."

"I know." Miles nodded, understanding the pain his son-in-law was feeling (and reliving). It felt strangely like déjà-vu.

"I'm afraid I might lose her." Dom confessed, looking deep into the older man's eyes.

_()()()()_

He walked through the streets of Paris as the night started to set, turning the Seine into a pool of flickering lights. He knew the path like the back of his hand, having done it countless times back when he was still a student. He just had to pass by the _École d'Architecture_, cross _Bir-Hakeim_ Bridge and look for an old student building. Hers was 491.

He had convinced Miles to give him the address even thought the professor would rather have him wait until she was ready to talk. But Cobb had argued that that time would not come and before they knew it, they could lose her… forever. _Like Mal._

"She's addicted, Miles." he had told the older man, "She's not going to give it up that easily."

Before he knew it, he was standing in front of her door, trying to gather the courage to knock.

_()()()()_

**A/N: Please, don't hate me! I don't know if I'll be able to update regularly since I have three internships coming in two weeks…**


	9. VIII Collide

**Author's note: Please, review! This fic is heating up!**

**VIII – Collide**

"_I'm open, you're closed__  
__Where I follow, you'll go__  
__I worry I won't see your face__  
__Light up again"_

_Collide_, Howie Day

The two friends fell silent when the knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Maggie eyed Ariadne with a questioning look, wondering if she was waiting for someone. Ariadne shrugged her shoulders, curiosity also taking her mind by storm.

Maggie turned to open the door, "Who is it?" she yelled in a very non womanly manner, grabbing the handle. They were two young girls in a city like Paris. You could never be too careful.

"I need to talk to Ariadne." the muffled voice hesitated from the other side. "It's Dominick Cobb."

Ariadne's eyes widened. What the hell was he doing here? She said she would call him… Well, she wasn't intending to, but still…

"Shit!" she muttered under her breath while nervously stepping off the couch and passing around the room. Her trembling hands ran through her hair, as she wondered what she should do next.

Maggie watched her friend with fearful eyes and asked in a low voice, "What the hell is going on, Ar?"

Ariadne stopped to look at her friend before walking past her to reach door. She was starting to open it when Mag's hand prevented her from doing it. "Is he… dangerous?" her voice hesitated on the last word.

"Ariadne, are you ok?" His worried voice reassured Maggie a little bit. Maybe he was here to help the obviously troubled Ariadne.

Maggie stepped aside, letting the petite architect open the door to her apartment.

Ariadne held onto the door as if her life depended on it and her other hand reached inside her pocket to check for her totem. That move did not go unnoticed by Dom and he gave her a small comforting smile. She felt her legs almost give in just by the sight of his smile.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" he asked in a low voice. A voice that suddenly felt so different from the one that hunted her dreams.

_Let me in, Ariadne. _She could hear _the other_ voice whisper in the confines of her mind. She closed her eyes trying to shake the thoughts away and focus on the real Dominick Cobb that stood in unmoving worry in front of her.

"Well, I should go." Mag's voice interrupted the troubled silence that had fallen between them. She came into Ariadne's line of vision, keeping her back turned to the handsome stranger that still stood by the door, and whispered, "Are you going to be ok?"

Ariadne nodded, trying to reassure her friend with a weak smile.

"Alright! I'm downstairs if you need me." Mag made sure to say the words loud enough for Cobb to hear. A warning. She turned to him with a polite smile to which he nodded in understanding. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cobb." And with that she left.

Ariadne motioned for Dom to come inside and closed the door behind him. He looked around her small studio apartment and immediately saw the signs he was looking for. Her desk was filled with open books and papers that appeared to be unfinished assignments. From his place, in the middle of her living room, he could peer into her bedroom and see the tangled sheets on her bed.

She felt like she was under his scrutiny and a sudden fury assaulted her. "What are you doing here, Cobb?" she asked in a calm yet threatening manner.

He kept his back turned to her as he inspected her apartment further with his knowing eyes. "I came to check on you."

She crossed her arms over her chest in a stubborn manner. "It was Miles, wasn't it?"

Her question made him turn to her and she was able to have a good look at him. He looked so much younger than she remembered; it was like… he was happy. He was dressed in a more casual style than he ever did when they were working on the Fisher job, wearing a dark blue cardigan over a white t-shirt, finishing the look with a grey overcoat. He looked so different from… the projection.

He noticed how her eyes examined him. "He's worried, Ariadne." he paused, waiting for some kind of reaction from her part. He got nothing, which frustrated him beyond reason. He wanted to snap her out whatever trance she was in. "Hell, I'm worried too." he whispered.

She felt her heart clench at his words and she avoided his desperate blue eyes that searched for hers as if trying to peer into her mind. "There's no reason to be…"

"Really?" he snapped, "Look at you! It's obvious that something's wrong."

She looked up at him, pain blurring her vision. "I'm fine. I just have a lot of work to-"

"Liar." he interrupted her, the word tasting like venom on his tongue.

He took carefully calculated steps towards her as if chasing a wild animal. When he reached her he cupped her face gently with both hands and could feel her cringe under his touch. The look of fear in her eyes made wonders to his already overflowing guilt. He knew he was going too far… but he so desperately wanted to help her.

She closed her eyes and remembered the kiss they had shared in that deserted hallway in LAX. Then she remembered the other kiss… shared in that same spot. _His_ hands had burned her skin every time he'd touched her. But not Cobb's… no. His hands felt like freedom… a light breeze on her skin. Comforting instead of demanding.

Suddenly a single tear run down her face. And his heart stopped.

When she looked back up, her brown eyes showed so much sadness and regret, he just couldn't stand it.

"Please, Ariadne." he whispered desperately, "Tell me what's going on..."

Her throat tightened, "It' nothing."

He inhaled deeply and looked into her eyes, "I know it's your dreams… I can tell."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"I've been through this before…" he paused, gathering up courage. "…with Mal."

She felt responsible for making him feel so much guilt and desperation again. She had helped him out of the maze and now she was just dragging him into hers.

"I just…" her voice cracked a little and she pulled away from him, immediately missing the feel of his hands on her face. She sat on her couch, nervously rubbing her hands close together and looked up at him. "I can't talk about it. Not now…"

He nodded, realizing that he was probably putting her under even more pressure. Maybe Miles was right. He should give her some time… But, on the meantime, he would keep an eye on her, to prevent any accidents.

"Alright… But I won't give up." he told her, "I'm responsible for this, Ariadne. I know. And I'm going to fix it. I promise."

Somehow, she doubted.

She was beyond repair.


	10. IX Strange

**Author's Note - Sorry for taking me so long to update! Hope you guys enjoy it! Please, review...**

**IX – Strange**

"_There's nothing stranger than to love someone."_

_Strangers, _White Lies

A few days had passed since Dom had stormed into her place, scrutinizing and asking questions that she did not dare to answer. But she wasn't sure how many days, really, because time seemed to pass so smoothly when she was with him. Days were spent in her apartment with Cobb helping her with all the assignments she had left pilling around and for the first time she felt happy.

Cobb had a beautiful apartment in Paris, near the _Jardin des Tuileries, _which he had shared with Mal for a few years. And even though it wasn't exactly close to her place, he'd insisted on picking her up and driving her to the university every morning, after leaving his children at their grandparents'. He wanted to make sure that she didn't miss any more classes.

"Why aren't you staying at Miles'?" Ariadne had asked in one of those trips, imagining how hard it would be to stay in a place that brought up so many memories.

"Marie…" he had confessed, "She just isn't too comfortable around me yet… and I like the apartment." He finished with a genuine smile.

She had not pushed the subject. She really didn't want to bring the Mal conversation up. He wasn't pushing her either, so it was a way of thanking him.

In the meanwhile, her dreams were becoming scarcer as she spent more and more time awake.

_()()()()_

One afternoon, after Ariadne's classes, they found themselves wondering around the _Jardin des Tuileries_. As they walked side by side, their hands brushed ever so slightly… It was in moments like these that Ariadne wanted to bring the kiss they had shared into the conversation. She wanted to know if he had done it out of pity or if here had been something else. Something more…

Ariadne couldn't tell how many hours had passed when they decided to sit down on the vibrant green carpet that covered the park. They had been taking about her assignments, discussing architecture, the time when Cobb was still a student which was hard to picture for Ariadne.

"When did you get involved in dreamsharing?" She broke the silence that had fallen between the two.

Dom grinned, remembering how reckless he used to be. "Miles believed I had a vision," he explained, "I just wasn't too keen on studying and trying to put my ideas into paper."

"Really?" Ariadne couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah!" he laughed, "I was never like you… I was the kid who stood in the back of the room always protesting about what Professor Miles was saying." He paused, contemplating what to say next. "So he decided to give me the chance to be better." He turned to her, looking deeply into her eyes. "To be extraordinary…"

Ariadne avoided his piercing gaze, nodding in agreement. She knew he was giving her a silent apology. He was just trying to make her stand out and be even better than she already was. But then it was all taken away from her just as fast.

"You've mastered it, haven't you?"

She looked at him puzzled by his question.

"Lucid dreaming?" he continued.

She avoided his questioning eyes and started picking at the grass just beneath her, considering telling him some of the truth. "I'm not using _Somnacin_ or anything like that…"

He nodded, thankful for the little information that she was giving him. "But you still control your surroundings… you're aware that you're dreaming." He threaded cautiously, so not to scare her away. "You decide when to come out…"

Ariadne inhaled deeply. She knew what he was doing but she actually needed to get some of it out because all the lies were eating at her. "It's not like I can control everything," she explained, "The projections…"

"It's your subconscious, remember?" he interrupted her, "You can't control it."

She nodded, ashamed at how weak she was when her subconscious taunted her.

"It's Mal, isn't it?" Dom decided to take a blind shot. He just needed to get to the bottom of this in order to be able to help Ariadne.

"You said you wouldn't push it." she mumbled.

"Yes, I did."

"So don't." she shot back sharply, trying to put an end to the conversation.

"I'm just trying to help…" Dom whispered tenderly, searching for her hidden gaze.

She finally looked at him with a smile that did not reach her eyes. "You already are."

They were so lost in each other's company that they didn't notice the both curious and slightly disapproving looks shown by the other park's wonderers.

_()()()()_

The day came when she finally met his kids. It was the first time she visited his apartment when he invited her for dinner. The house had a kind of a lofty feeling since the living room was enormous and opened up to the kitchen. The big window had a marvelous view that illuminated all the room and made the crafted ceilings stand out. It was furnished in a modern way with pieces form various well-known designers, obviously bought recently.

"It's amazing, Dom." she commented, entering the living room.

He smiled at the use of his first name. "Saito's money helped." He winked at her.

Cobb called for his kids and they came running. When she finally saw their faces she thought that they were probably the most beautiful children she had ever seen.

He introduced her as a "close friend", which made her heart flutter.

James gave her a big smile and politely shook her hand while Philippa approached her with a suspicious look. Ariadne felt like she was being scrutinized by Mal's own eyes since the girl looked so much like her mother.

"Your name…" the little girl said, "It's very strange."

The young architect could not help but chuckle relaxing a little. "I know…"

The little girl smiled back. "I like it."

Ariadne felt Dominick's hand on the small of her back. "Come… let me give you a tour."

She nodded and followed him. When they were out of earshot, Ariadne whispered, "She's really hard to read!"

"Yeah… she can be a bit intense."

Ariadne smiled. "It runs in the family, apparently."

_()()()()_

Ariadne's visits to the Cobb's household became a routine. Every Friday night was "drawing night with Ari" as the kids used to say. James and Philippa would compete with each other trying to impress Ariadne as Cobb stood in the corner admiring them.

"What's that?" James asked one night, narrowing his eyes as he tried to understand Ari's complex drawing.

The future architect smiled at his curiosity. "It's a maze."

Cobb turned away from the sink to look at the three of them sitting by the kitchen table.

"Wow…" the little boy whispered, amazed by Ariadne's talent.

Philippa looked suspicious, as always. "That's those things where you get lost in, right?"

Ariadne looked from Philippa to Dom and smiled tenderly at him.

Dom smiled back. "Yes, it is." he answered his daughter.

Philippa nodded, her eyes suddenly sad and pensive. It was then that Ariadne believed the little girl understood more than she had given her credit for.

"But it's easy to get out once you find someone to help you." Dominick's piercing blue eyes did not leave Ariadne's and she eventually turned away form his demanding gaze.

Philippa noticed the exchange between the two adults. "That's why mom left, right?" the little girl turned to her dad, accusingly. "She didn't have anyone to help her out."

Everything happened in a flash to Ariadne's eyes. The little girl flew from the kitchen running to her room and ignoring her father's pleas. James followed quietly.

()()()()

Ariadne stormed through the hallway just out of Dom's home. She clumsily put on her brown leather jacket and her red floral scarf, trying so hard not to cry.

Cobb strode after, leaving the door to his house opened. "Ariadne, wait!"

She spun around, her hair waving violently. "No!" she screamed with a pointed finger, not minding the scene she was making to the possible eavesdroppers form the other apartments. "No, Cobb! You have to forget about me and whatever happened between us and take care of YOUR kids. They need you!" she paused, trying to get her emotions under control. "I don't." she whispered, her voice trembling.

She did need him, even though it was hard to admit it out loud and to his face. She was irrevocably in love with Dominick Cobb and her life without him did not make sense. She felt like she couldn't breathe when he wasn't around… but she had to let him go for the sake of the children that had stayed behind. She could see the guilt in his eyes and she had to set it free so he could be happy with his kids.

"I'm here to help you…" His voice sounded more like a plea for her to let him than anything else.

"Stop saying that!" She tried to regain some control over her emotions. "That's not your job…" she whispered, "This…" A slender finger pointed at her own breaking heart, "is not your fault." She just hoped he could believe it.

Before she turned to leave, he saw the tears threatening to spill out of her hazel eyes. He felt his heart break into a million little pieces. She was slipping further away from him and now that he had gotten her back, he couldn't bear the thought of losing her again.

He needed her.


End file.
